Nerve stimulation and blocking for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders

Abstract

Systems and methods of using a system for treating a gastrointestinal disorder characterized by dysmotility of a gastrointestinal organ. A system comprises a first electrode adapted for placement on the vagus nerve at a stimulation site proximal to at least one site of vagal innervation of a gastrointestinal organ, a second electrode adapted for placement on the vagus nerve at a site proximal to the stimulation site, a third electrode adapted for placement on the vagus nerve at a distal blocking site distal to the stimulation site, an implantable controller comprising at least one circuit for generating a neural conduction blocking signal connected to the second and third electrode, at least one circuit for generating a neural conduction stimulating signal connected to the first electrode; and an external programmer configured to communicate at least one parameter for the neural conduction blocking signal to the implantable controller; and an external coil adapted to be worn by the patient, wherein the external coil is connected to the external programmer, and is adapted to inductively couple to the implantable controller.